


Time Lost

by icantwriteyo



Series: Life Is Strange 2 AU Oneshots [9]
Category: Life Is Strange 2
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Time, Gentle Sex, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Riding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:49:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21811708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icantwriteyo/pseuds/icantwriteyo
Summary: Post-Redemption Ending. Contains vague spoilers for LiS 2 endings.Sean reflects on the time he's lost and re-meets some familiar faces along the way.
Relationships: Daniel Diaz & Sean Diaz, Daniel Diaz/Chris Eriksen, Sean Diaz/Finn
Series: Life Is Strange 2 AU Oneshots [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1370263
Comments: 4
Kudos: 138





	Time Lost

The words fell effortlessly from Daniel’s lips. His voice deeper, even deeper than Sean’s now as he adamantly recounted his college graduation over the roaring fire. A graduation Sean missed, just like his middle school one. Just like his high school one. He reminisced on building the fort here all those years ago, when Daniel still thought they were on the journey of a lifetime. In a way, perhaps that was still true.

He had lost so much time, of his own and of Daniel’s. He went from a boy to a man, but locked away from the rites of passage that signified so. And he was neglected the chance to help and provide for Daniel in his own rites.

Sean had thought he resounded himself to the reality of this lost time. But now, with this sudden taste of a form of freedom, but bound to having missed out on so much, it was hard for him to not feel the bitter sting once more.

The sting that accompanied the cuffs on his wrists, the slam of a gavel, the shaving of all his hair, the sneered glares of guards at a cop killer, and tears as Daniel sobbed his name and hugged him so tight on his birthday. The orange of his jumpsuit reflected off Daniel’s t-shirt in a sick mockery of the cheery color.

“Sean…” Daniel’s voice of now called to him. His younger, taller, brother was upon him in mere moments. He held him so tightly, but as if he was fragile. He felt fragile, moments away from a crumbled pile of dust. “...it’s okay.” Daniel promised him, a promise he couldn’t keep. A promise Sean hoped that he kept. “It’s over, it’s all over.”

“It is.” Sean choked.

-

Daniel’s howl rattled in the confines of his skull. He hadn’t howled back, but drove away. He knew Daniel wouldn’t take it personally. He never did, he was good and mature like that. Daniel. Mature.

He had been so accommodating to Sean since he had been released. Daniel had offered to have Sean stay with him, but it just didn’t feel right. He didn’t feel right in Seattle, in any city, in staying anywhere too long. And fuck crowds. Fuck eyes that strayed and looked at his own glass one.

Perhaps it was selfish of him to want to get away after they had spent so much time away. Daniel had been so understanding. It seemed like his patience was never ending. What kind of 25 year old was like that? Maybe. Maybe Sean’s own fuck ups hadn’t ruined or damaged Daniel as he had thought.

He continued along the road and found a familiar song tilting through the old radio. Something his father used to have booming in the garage as he fiddled away with the car Sean currently drove. He turned the volume up, mind drifted to a simpler time. A time before all this.

“Gracias, papito.”

-

“So glad you’ve decided to visit us for a little while, Sean.” Claire grinned and wrapped her arms around her elder grandson. She felt so light in his arms, her eyes a level of fondness that Sean felt he hadn’t earned.

It was the first time he had been back in that house since Captain Spirit gifted his brother his cape. There were photos of Daniel’s life catalogued along the walls, putting faces and images to all those wonderful stories Daniel had shared over the campfire months ago. Sean expected that. What he hadn’t expected was a framed photo of himself and Daniel embracing during one of their visits. There were also a few framed issues of Sean’s Superwolf comics that framed the walls. 

He swallowed roughly, wiped away the start of a tear as he took in the combined memories, the proud grin Stephen gave him as he squeezed his shoulder.

So, it wasn’t so bad being back. A bit different, though. More pills lined the bathroom cupboards, both his grandparents’ hands shook ever so slightly from medication, and wrinkles were set deeper in their skin than ever before. Stephen used a cane. Their staircase was modified to include a chair to go up and down stairs. 

Over dinner of homemade lasagna and garlic bread that night, they had asked Sean about his adventures. He recounted the camping trip with Daniel, running into Brody at a gas station who he was working with now on a zine (he just called it a ‘digital book’ for simplicity’s sake), and taking Lyla mountain climbing for the first time.

“Well, it sounds like we won’t be giving you the most exciting time through the holidays compared to all you’ve been doing.” Claire laughed as Sean cleared the table, ignoring her small protest as he began to clean the dishes.

“I’m just...glad to be here. And I’m here to help if you need anything.”

“Yes, actually.” Stephen laughed. “I’m sure you’ve noticed it’s December 3rd and we still don’t have any decorations out. If you wanted to help in the morning, there’s a ton in the shed out back.” They must have gotten rid of the toys that were there over the years. Not like Daniel had a use for them after a couple of those years. “And...if you’d like to pick a tree up from the Christmas Market, that would be great.”

“Sounds like a plan, then.” Sean grinned.

“Oh, I’m just so glad you’re here.” Claire laughed as she retrieved a jar from the cupboard. “Stephen and I can only eat so many of these cookies.

-

Sean lugged boxes upon boxes from the shed into the Reynold’s house until a familiar face appeared across short wooden fence. Charles, Daniel’s eventual father-in-law. He had aged pretty well all things considered, the bags under his eyes seemingly lighter despite the 15 years that had passed.

“Sean?” Charles said in surprise as he rested the shovel he had brought to the yard against the massive, winding tree. A tree that still cradled that infamous treehouse, many a source of Chris and Daniel’s childhood adventures. “How the hell are you doing, man?”

He reached a hand out, giving Sean a firm grip of a handshake that the younger man matched. “Uh, better, doing better. Been out for a while, so…”

“Right.” Sean respected the fact Charles didn’t probe. There was no way he didn’t know what happened, living with the Reynolds and the fact Sean’s case had been publicized so heavily. He was glad the interest faded. The one saving grace of being so young when his term started was for most on the street, he was unrecognizable from the young, scruffy, eyepatched boy with a dead stare who didn’t so much as flinch during his trial. 

“Hey, listen. Don’t know how long you’re stayin’ in Beaver Creek, but...I’d like to take you out for lunch, y’know, catch up. Only if you want to man, but. I just have a lot to thank you for…for all those years ago.” His blue eyes were serious, introspective in that moment. 

“Definitely. It sounds like a plan.”

-  
Nostalgia was quite possibly the most mild term Sean’s brain could manifest as he trailed through the Christmas Market. Every place he had been, every person he had met and re-met, had changed in some way in those past 15 years. Buildings or trees torn down or built up. Wrinkles, graying hair. Daniel towered over him by several inches.

But here...this market. It was like a time capsule. The insides of a snowglobe trapped in a scene that would never change no matter how much you shook it. Even the layout of the pine trees, the advertisements for upcoming Christmas events, the shitty little trinkets peddled by local vendors. It was all...the same. 

After the initial shock and ache settled in the pit of his stomach, he took to finding a tree just right for Claire and Stephen’s house. There were some complimentary cookies and cocoa that he had helped himself to as he perused the selection (he was pretty sure he already put on a few pounds in cookies alone).

It didn’t take too long to find a tree that seemed suited for his grandparents. Not too tall, so it would be easy for them to decorate and remove, but wide enough to take up the space they had designated. As the workers wrapped the tree and worked to strap it to the roof of his car, Sean took a little stroll.

He swore some of the crafts the vendors were trying to sell were just dusted off each year, the unsold ones from fifteen years ago proudly on display with slightly marked up price tags. Sean settled on a wood picnic bench, ignored the bite of cold that seeped through his torn jeans as he began to sketch the mellow market scene in front of him. 

The faint chuckles of Chris and Daniel rung in the back of his mind, the faint strung of a guitar from a strange, but fascinating girl reverbated in the canals of his ears from muscle memory alone. When he looked up from his sketchbook, he half expected to see Cassidy and...him, there, with their mangy dog ready to be haggled by some self righteous asshole.

But that was fifteen years ago. Time lost. Lost just like all the time after it, just like that night in the redwoods. Just like his lips pressed again...his.

The workers definitely had more than enough time to secure the tree and Sean had had enough of reminiscing. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. He wondered if it was ever going to go away.

He tipped the workers before he treated to the parking lot, fumbling with his keys before dropping them onto the icy asphalt. He picked them up quickly, letting out a defeated sigh.

“Sean?” That voice. A voice Sean would recognize anytime, anywhere, across miles of land or sea. “No fucking way…”

Finn had acquired more tattoos across the pale expanse of his body. In the frigid cold Sean could only see a few additions that lined his fingers, a new green-blue line across the ridge of his nose. His hair seemed redder than it did in their youth, long dreads that would cascade down his back if it weren’t for the tight ponytail centered in the back of his head. 

He looked as ragged yet comfortable as ever, eyeing Sean in disbelief from just a few feet away. Finn looked good, the hardlines of the years passed framing his eyes and the smile lines of his mouth handsomely. 

Sean ached for the time missed. But it really wasn’t his place, was it? Fifteen years is too long to wait for anyone. Even Daniel had moved on without him, had a happy life, and yet there was a sad light to Finn’s eyes, one that Sean felt he had seen in his own solo eye’s reflections many a time. Or maybe he was projecting?

“Long time no see, huh, Finn?” The air was pushed from his lungs when the other man firmly wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him so close. Such a contrast to Claire and Stephen’s feeble embraces he had become accustomed to over the past several days.

“Missed you, sweetie.”

-

Living with a pretty open-minded, accepting kid like Daniel for so long definitely had an impact on Claire and Stephen’s approach to strangers. Their eyes only lingered so much on Finn’s tattoos and piercings before they welcomed him inside. 

It probably helped that he held up the back end of the Christmas tree, was an expert at decorating said tree, and actually took up Claire’s offer to help bake even more cookies.

Finn had matured as well, it seemed, because his tableside manner during dinner was impeccable. Enough so that Claire and Stephen invited him to spend the night. Many nights, if he wanted.

“You’re a friend of Sean’s…and well, we haven’t seen him smiling this much in a long time.” Claire had pulled him aside, not truly out of Sean’s earshot.

That night, they slept in the guest bedroom that he and Daniel had shared a decade and a half ago. Karen’s room served as Daniel’s for the time he was there, reopening the space closed off from the outside world for so long.

Stephen had retrieved an air mattress that somehow still worked, despite it being used most recently by Chris for a slumber party before his and Daniel’s high school graduation. Finn blew it up, but it didn’t get much use.

Not when Sean woke in a cold sweat, in hardly remembered nightmare with grabbing hands and the strongest sense of dread. Of fear. 

“Sean?” Finn shook Sean awake. “Hey, sweetie…”

“It’s fine, I’m okay. I’m okay.” He reassured. He couldn’t trouble Finn with this, not when Finn had gone out of his way to airdrop in his life again, without so much as a single complaint for the lost time. The forgotten letters, too painful for Sean to open or write back to. After all, why would Finn wait fifteen years?

“No, you’re not.” Said so matter-of-factly, without a single ounce of judgment. He motioned for Sean to move over, which he did without complaint, confused for a moment before Finn’s cool, slender body pressed against his own thicker, fiery one. “But ‘s alright. We can talk about it. Wanna...make up for lost time.”

Sean choked at that, the tears fell as easily as the words that stumbled from his lips, he recounted everything his sleep-idled brain could muster. And Finn held him through it.

-

Finn stayed around for several days, but left the morning of Christmas Eve. Said it didn’t feel right to intrude on a family get together.

They shared a smoke in the front yard (Sean had been cutting back, Daniel begged him to and he would stop...eventually). Sean craved nothing more than to plead for Finn to stay, to kiss him, to hold his hand and never let go. But he couldn’t ask that of Finn. He had given him the sweetest gift these past couple of weeks, memories he’d cherished, time not lost.

“I’ll...see you around?”

“Yeah, definitely, sweetie.”

Christmas morning, Sean had presented Claire and Stephen with a painting to add to the collection of glorious wall of photo memories. In painstakingly intense detail, Sean had recreated their wedding portrait with his own flare and style added to it. Stephen was mesmerized by each individual brushstroke and Claire nearly cried at how thoughtful she found it to be.

In return, they gifted gas money for his next destination and a handmade sweater. It was made of the softest, warmest material Sean had ever touched, nice and spacious as he preferred his clothes now. Stitched into the maroon material was the gray outline of a wolf.

“Daniel always said you were found of wolves...so the pattern seemed just right.”

“Thanks, this...this is awesome, I love it.”

-  
Sean had developed an affinity for driving at night. Perhaps his time spent with Brody a couple months ago rubbed off of him. Either way, after two sweet hugs and ample goodbyes, he set out to leave from Claire and Stephen’s house. 

Onto his next adventure. He debated making his way to Away. It had been a while since he’d written or spoken to anyone from that crew and Karen was always telling him he was welcome. They probably had more than a bit of catching up to do.

Deep in his thoughts, Sean hadn’t registered a figure until he ended up at the foot of the Reynolds’ driveway where his car sat parked and packed. “I thought...I thought you’d left.”

“Just had to pick up a few supplies, sweetie.” Finn draped his own bag off his shoulder, placing it in freshly fallen snow. “Glad you headed out now, though...was startin’ to...freeze my ass off.”

“What, Finn...you don’t have to…” There was no way he was offering to Sean what he thought he was. That was too much. It wasn’t fair. A gift Sean never earned, that he never could repay.

“I mean it...y’know, all those years ago.” Finn looked up at the moon, soft snowflakes beginning to line his lashes before they melted. “To the end and shit y’know? There...there’s a lot I did wrong by you, Sean.”

“No, don’t-”

“A lot I wanna make right, but...the one thing I don’t ever regret is falling for you.” It took a moment for Sean to realize he had begun crying. Sean closed the distance between them, a firm hand on Finn’s shaking shoulder. “God...I said I was always gettin’ obsessed over people I met. But I lied, tryin’ to cover my own ass like I always do. It was just you. Always you.”

“Holy fuck, Finn.” Sean could do nothing but pull him in close, cheek to cheek, heaving chest pressed against heaving chest.

“If you’ll have me, sweetie...I’m in it for the long haul, anywhere and everywhere.” 

Sean pressed their foreheads together, breathing in that scent so unique to Finn after all this time. “I’d like that.”

-

It’s early evening on December 31st when Sean pulled into a nondescript motel along the sign of an empty, winding winter road. He waited until Finn finished rocking out to the song on the radio before parking and lugging their bags out.

There were plenty of rooms available with it being New Year’s Eve, but they opted for a room with one bed. They took a shower together, gentle hands that wandered, touches sensual and caring in nature. 

A kiss above a hollow eyelid. A kiss against triangle tattoos. Finn couldn’t stop tracing patterns against Sean’s hairy chest. Kept his hands steady as he shaved away most of his love’s beard, leaving him with a fetching goatee and mustache. 

Sean’s own pampered touches ascended every inch of Finn’s body he could reach, exploring each new tattoo and scar, covering them with revering caresses. 

There was no point to put clothes on after their shower. They dried one another offer, stolen kisses between swipes of soft terry cloth. 

Finn took his hand, lead Sean to bed with him as their lips only parted for air. Sean’s larger body bracketed Finn’s own, feeling so free and loved for the first time since...ever. Finn continued a soft exploration of his Sean. Found what made him tick in the sweetest and best of ways and made it even better for him.

Sean became overwhelmed, but only in that made his body and heart sing with foreign pleasures. Languid kisses against his jaw, another hand on his length, teasing to near completion before Finn was upon him and then Sean was in him. 

As Finn rocked and rode him, laced their fingers together, Sean threw his head back, desperately keeping his lover in his vision as much as he could. “I love you, Finn. I love you. Please…”

“I’m here, sweetie.” Finn breathed, capturing the flesh of Sean’s exposed throat in a tender suck of his mouth and bit of his teeth. “Love you, too. Ain’t going nowhere.”

It didn’t take long for them to reach completion, but it didn’t matter. Those moments seemed to last centuries, convey the passion felt across all their lost time together. And it was just the beginning.

As Sean laid with his head over Finn’s heart, breathless, the clock struck midnight. The exchanged a soft kiss.

A new year. And so much time to get lost in one another.


End file.
